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Green Party Endorses Only 1 June Ballot Measure; Slams Prop. 14

SAN JOSE - The Green Party of California (GPCA) announced this week it was officially supporting only one of five propositions on the June 2010 ballot - a measure that would experiment with public financing of some candidates in the 2014 and 2018 elections to avoid the corrupting influence of lobbyists.

Voting at the party's state convention in San Jose last weekend, delegates representing Green Party counties throughout the state agreed to support Prop. 15, which would use fees paid by lobbyists to finance Secretary of State candidates. It means smaller parties could receive up to $1.3 million in public financing for that SOS race.

PROP. 14: No Support. The GPCA heavily criticized Prop. 14, the so-called "top two" measure, which would, if passed, only allow the top two winners in the primary to be on the ballot in the November general election. The result, said the Greens, would result in fewer voter choices at time when voters are dissatisfied with current choices; increased candidate spending; muzzled smaller parties and their messages; and increased influence by the same moneyed special interests bankrolling Prop. 14.

PROP. 16: No Support. The GPCA did not endorse Prop. 16, a private utility-backed measure that would protect big utilities by requiring a two-thirds majority vote of ratepayers before a public utility could be created. Not coincidentally, public utilities are less expensive than private utilities, note the Greens.

PROP. 17: No support. Green Party delegates said, if passed, this proposition would punish the poor and middle class. The measure would allow auto insurers to raise rates for those who, for whatever reason had a gap in coverage.

PROP. 13: No position. Greens took no position on this measure. It would allow a tax break for homeowners or commercial property owners for seismic retrofitting. While some delegates believed the proposition is a thinly-disguised attempt to benefit big business (as in the original Prop. 13), others believe it will save lives by encouraging property owners to make their buildings safer.